Tentative Bonds
by XDracoMalfoysGirlX
Summary: Sirius' night takes a surreal turn when he tries to distract Lily to enable his friends to sneak back to the common room.


**A/N: Written for The Pirate of the Caribbean quote challenge on the forums by witangerandbravery**

Tentative Bonds

"Will you hurry up, Wormtail!"

"I'm moving as fast as I can, Padfoot." Peter Pettigrew huffed along behind his three best friends James Potter, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, he was shorter than they were, his legs didn't move as quickly and he was slightly on the chubby side. That rankled with Peter, he was always trying to diet or cut back, but he just loved sweets and chocolate so the diet never lasted very long.

They were making their way under the cover of rain and darkness back into Hogwarts, they weren't supposed to be out of their common rooms late at night never mind out in the grounds.

But needs must. Remus suffered from a curse, a terrible curse that turned him into a rabid, snarling werewolf at every full moon. Tonight had been a full moon.

Sirius, James and Peter had worked hard to learn how to transform themselves into their animagi forms in order to be there for Remus when he turned. He was their friend and the curse didn't matter to them, they stuck together through thick and thin always there for each other, keeping secrets and never betraying each other.

James had discovered his animagi form was a stage, Peter's a rat and Sirius a dog. Just what their animal forms said about them they didn't know. Not one of them felt the need to find out either, it was a frightening thought, to know yourself that intimately.

Remus was at the moment propped between James and Sirius, his body drained of energy, his face deathly pale and his eyelids heavy. His head drooped forward so that his chin rested on his chest. He looked sick and bedraggled and they had to somehow sneak him back into school and into bed without discovery.

That was not an easy task. Some of the portraits might wake up and start a commotion. Filch might appear out of the shadows where he had been lying in wait for unsuspecting students or his cat Mrs Norris might be lurking about and clock them with those creepy eyes she had.

Detection was usually pretty easy for them all to avoid though, they had a special map of Hogwarts that showed the movements of everyone within the castle. It had helped them evade Flich on more than several occasions; James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were generally doing things they weren't supposed to be doing.

They managed to make it into the school without incident and even navigated the moving stair cases without making any noise. Two corridors away from the Gryffindor common room they ran into trouble.

Trouble in the form of a prefect.

Trouble with red hair.

Trouble with green eyes.

Lily Evans kind of trouble.

"Oh," James hissed crossly. "What is she doing out of bed at this time of the morning?"

Sirius grinned, it would be the one and only time James wouldn't be happy to see his one true love, Lily Evans. Sirius thought it was more like a one true crush than love, but he didn't bother to correct James. James could be very touchy when it came to Lily.

"What do we do?" Peter peered at the map Sirius held in his hands. Lily was blocking their way back to the common room.

Sirius considered for a moment or two. "Here," he said allowing Remus to lean on his shoulder so that he could make use of his hands and point on the map. "There's a tapestry here that leads into the far end of the corridor." Sirius pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "You go back down a level to get up. I'll distract Lily so that you can sneak past her."

"Why don't you go that way and I'll distract Lily?" James suggested.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Oh for Merlin's sake, now is not the time for your petty jealousy," he said dismissively. "You know she doesn't like you very much, she'll probably storm off the second she sees you and walk straight into us. If I distract her we stand a better chance of getting Moony back to bed with no-one the wiser."

"Padfoot's right," Remus spoke slowly, as though each word were difficult to pronounce.

"Alright," James agreed eyeing Remus worriedly. It was best that they get him into bed sooner rather than later. He looked worse than usual tonight.

Peter took Sirius' place on Remus' left and together with James they turned to go back down to the corridor below them. "You'd better take this to keep an eye on us." Sirius handed Peter the map and waited until they had disappeared around the corner before strolling into the corridor.

Lily was sitting in the window seat, her entire body stiffened when she heard foot steps and she resigned herself for a detention for being in the corridors after curfew. She was pleasantly surprised to see Sirius Black walking towards her, he couldn't give her detention and he wouldn't tell on her either.

"Evans," Sirius greeted, leaning casually on the wall.

"Hello, Sirius."

"Now what's a good girl like you doing breaking school rules?"

Lily sighed and looked back towards the windows; tomorrow was her sister's birthday. Lily had sent a card and had already picked out the present during the school holidays. She had tried to give it to Petunia then but her sister had flat out refused to take it. Her sister's rejection hurt, it was like a knife to Lily's heart and she didn't know what to do to make it better. Since the discovery of her powers a great big chasm and grown between her and Petunia and Lily felt powerless to cross it.

"What are you doing breaking school rules?" she countered. She didn't feel like telling anyone, let alone Sirius Black, about her awful home situation. Her parents were delighted and excited at having a witch in the family. They embraced her differences and always supported and encouraged her, but Petunia was different. Petunia called her a freak and that was one of the nicer things she said about her.

Petunia's insults stung, they cut Lily to the quick. It was one thing to have the purebloods looking down on her for being a muggle born, that didn't particularly bother Lily, she didn't hold those people in high regard and cared nothing about what they thought of her; but she did so wish that Petunia would give her a chance. Even after all these years her sister shut her out, tried to pretend that she didn't exist. They had been close once but ever since Lily had received her Hogwarts letter their relationship had gone down hill and when Lily had gone to Hogwarts the sisterly bond had been severed; the current state of their relationship was heartbreaking.

"Rules are there to be broken,' Sirius said with a grin.

"There you go then, you've answered your own question."

Sirius clucked his tongue against his cheek. "Such defiance from a prefect. Unheard of," he said mockingly.

Lily's eyebrows drew together into a frown. "Oh I do wish you'd go away," she exclaimed crossly. "Don't you have anywhere better to be?"

Sirius examined her closely. She didn't look like the usual feisty Lily Evans who was ready to put him firmly in his place with a well timed comment. He liked to banter with Lily, she always gave him as good as she got. She didn't win of course, but she had a good try.

"Like where?"

"Bed?"

"Are you propositioning me, Evans?" Sirius managed to look scandalised.

"I'm not-"

"No, no," Sirius shook his head and held out his hands. "It wouldn't be a good idea. You'd be after me all the time, trying to accost me in abandoned classrooms and broom closets, I'd never know a minute's peace" he let out a put upon sigh. "Once they've had Black they never go back," he said with a grin.

Lily smiled in spite of herself. "You're an idiot, Black. Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Yeah, you," he replied amiably.

She nodded once and smiled again, but Sirius noticed that her smile did not reach her eyes. She looked sad and tired and his curiosity was piqued.

"What's up, Evans? Go on, tell old Sirius all about it."

"You wouldn't understand," she looked out of the window again and absently drew a line through the condensation with her finger.

"Try me."

"Thank you, no," she said primly and he laughed.

Sirius flashed a wicked grin. "You don't know what you're missing."

"I'll live," she responded dryly.

He turned suddenly serious catching Lily off guard. "Are you alright? Is someone bothering you, cos if they are you just tell me and I'll sort it out first thing in the morning for you."

"No," Lily shook her head, her eyes widening in surprise at his offer. "It's nothing like that. There's nothing you can do, nothing anyone can do. Just forget about it."

She jumped up off the window seat and pulled her robes closer to her with a little shiver.

"Maybe I can help? A problem shared and all of that rot," he gave her an encouraging smile.

Lily sighed softly. "You can't change someone's opinion of you, Sirius no matter how much you might want to."

Sirius scowled deeply. "Right," he said decisively. "Tomorrow I'm hexing some Slytherin's!"

"No," Lily shook her head and laughed a little. Reaching out to touched his arm and shook her head again. "It's not a Slytherin situation, it's a sister situation. My sister hates me, Sirius, she's hated me since we discovered I'm a witch. It's her birthday tomorrow and she wouldn't even accept my gift. She probably won't open my card either," she smiled ruefully. "See, I told you there was nothing you could do about it.

There's nothing anyone can do. I guess I just have to keep trying and hope that as we get older she'll grow to accept what I am."

"Don't hold your breath, Lily."

To say Lily was startled by his response would have been an understatement, she was positively flabbergasted. She hadn't expected a whole spiel about how things would work out and she just had to keep trying and not give up her sister; not from him, not from any boy. But she also hadn't been expecting that. His face had lost its humour and his mood had darkened. Sirius almost looked as though he were speaking from experience.

"I don't…." Lily trailed off, Sirius hadn't offered any further explanation and while she would like to know more she wasn't going to pry. Sirius' life wasn't her business and he probably didn't want her poking about in it.

"My family aren't all that crazy about me right now," Sirius said slowly. "I'm kinda the black sheep."

"Oh?"

"Well, when your entire family have been Slytherin's and then I suddenly become a Gryffindor," he paused with a half -smile. "It doesn't go down well."

"I'm sorry."

Lily meant it, Sirius could tell, her tone throbbed with sincerity, she was pegging him as someone who understood what it was like to be an outcast in your own family. It was dangerous, this new tentative bond they were forming, and they were forming a bond Sirius could almost see it materialising between them.

He was startled when the back of her hand grazed his cheek. That was something he had never seen coming. "We are very much alike, you and I, I and you... us."

Sirius swallowed uncomfortably. This was getting too heavy, if he left matters as they were he would find himself in too deep with her. He already had a slight attraction to her which he had never told anyone because of James' complete obsession with her, and becoming good friends and knowing her special little secret was not going to help. He would probably end up fancying himself falling for her or something and that would never do.

James meant way too much to Sirius for him to allow anything, especially a girl, to come between them.

"Oh. Except for a sense of honour and decency and a moral centre; and personal hygiene," he said airily.

Lily blinked in surprise, she drew back from him as though he had slapped her and Sirius felt bad when he saw the hurt expression on her face but it was quickly replaced with her usual haughty look whenever he was around.

"Decency? A moral centre? You? Oh don't make me laugh," Lily scoffed. She leant towards him and sniffed. "And you're the last person to make comments about personal hygiene, you smell like a wet dog, Sirius."

"Charming!"

Lily straightened her shoulders but instead of adopting her annoyed prefect look, she simply looked curious. "Are you keeping a dog somewhere?"

Sirius barked his trademark laugh. "Don't be a dipstick, Evans. Where would I keep a dog?"

It was back to "Evans" she noticed sadly, the seed of whatever it was that had started to germinate between them tonight had turned toxic and died before it had ever had its chance to bear fruit. Lily knew Sirius well enough to know why; it was because of that stupid, annoying and embarrassing crush James Potter had on her. She wished he would just get over it already; Sirius was too decent to even contemplate anything other than friendship with her while Potter was busy mooning around over her.

Lily gave a mental snort, as if she would ever even consider a relationship with that idiot!

"It is you, Sirius, somehow you always manage to get away with things you shouldn't be doing."

"It's a gift."

"It's annoying." Lily made a face and tucked her hair behind her ear. "We should get back, we're pushing our luck if we stay here much longer."

Sirius obligingly fell into step beside her, his friends would be safely back in the dorm by now and he was tired himself, being up all night watching over a werewolf was hard work.

He glanced out of the window as they walked and noticed it had stopped raining now. He smiled to himself and wondered what Miss-Stickler-For-The-Rules would say if he told her the reason he smelt like wet dog was because he was an unregistered animagus.

Lily paused when they entered the common room. She gave Sirius a long, lingering look and his chest tightened. "Good night, Sirius, thanks for listening."

"No problem," Sirius ruffled his hair absently. "Now get to your room before I report you for being out after curfew."

Lily smiled but Sirius could see it was forced; she was still upset about him slamming the shutters down on her. But it was for the best, James would never forgive him and probably give him a black eye into the bargain. Sirius turned away and crossed the cold, empty room towards the staircase that led up to the boys dormitory.

"Sirius," Lily moved after him.

It was still "Sirius" he noted bleakly and he had a feeling she would continue to call him by his first name from now on. They had a bond now after all, he thought glumly.

"Yeah?" Sirius was taken completely off guard when Lily's hands fisted in the front of his damp jumper and dragged him down to her level. She was kissing him! Her lips were on his! She was kissing him!

He was kissing her back!

Sirius tried to stop himself but he couldn't, it was his natural instinct; when a pretty girl was kissing him he kissed back.

Honeycomb, she had been eating something that was honeycombed flavour, he liked honeycomb.

Somehow he managed to keep his arms at his sides, his hands curling into fists to keep them from wandering into her hair. James suddenly popped into his head and it was like having a bucket of ice water poured down his back, but before Sirius could pull away Lily broke the kiss.

She still held on to him staring up at him with blazing green eyes. He had kissed her back, she was in with a chance.

Lily hid her smile of triumph. "Sweet dreams, Sirius."

He watched her walk away unsure as to what exactly had happened. Sirius blinked once, twice and shook his head to clear it. Had Lily Evans just kissed him? It was so surreal that he wasn't altogether sure.

Sirius continued on his way to the dorm and bounded lightly up the stair case. He was going to have to make sure to keep well away from Lily over the next couple of days to ensure this little bond she thought was between was well and truly broken. James could not find out about tonight, Sirius wouldn't allow that to happen and he could not, no matter how much he might like to, have even a tentative bond with Lily Evans!


End file.
